Types of event marquee
There are many different types of marquees, of which the most common nowadays, is the aluminium frame marquee. This type of marquee is the most favoured because its clever design allows the most amount of flexibility of use of the space within it. By not having a support pole positioned in the middle of the tent, framed marquees allow you to layout your event without being restricted by internal vertical poles.
Traditional Pole Marquees
Most traditional pole marquees are made of canvas, which is kept under tension by support poles and guy ropes. The guy ropes are then attached to soft ground. This is much like when you attach a camping tent with pegs to the ground, but on a much larger scale. This requirement for the marquee to be fastened to the ground, to maintain its stability, is one of the main limitations with pole marquees.
Because pole marquees can't be positioned on hard surfaces, sandy areas or gravel areas in large gardens, their use is rather limited. Once other types of marquee came onto the marquee hire market that offered more versatility in where you could put them, pole marquees became a thing of the past.
Modern frame marquee design allows them to be positioned on car park areas, on a beach and or even on the deck of a barge. Because they rely on a rigid aluminium frame to hold the tent structure together, frame marquees can easily be located on hard or soft surfaces. And have the added benefit of not having support poles getting in the way of your choice of event layout inside the tent.
This versatility allows frame marquees to be able to be located over garden ponds, swimming pools, trees & shrubs and flower beds. This allows for a more visually exciting and interactive event area. Frame marquees are also a lot more stable than traditional pole marquees and have a longer shelf life, which is especially beneficial for marquee hire.
Another key benefit of frame marquees is that they can easily be erected against a wall, using it as a wall for the marquee. This is ideal for garden parties and wedding receptions, where the back entrance to a house can be used. This allows the hosts of the party to utilise areas of their house and the marquee area for their event.
Whereas pole marquees are for the most part made from canvas, frame marquees are made from a PVC or PE (polythene) material. These modern materials benefit from being stronger and much easier to maintain and clean.
High Peak Marquees
Frame marquees are not the only option when organising an outdoor corporate or wedding event. Particularly popular with corporate events, are 'high peak' tents. High peak tents are for the most part the same in design as frame marquees, apart from having a 'floating' pole, which is held in place off the ground by cables that run across the tent above head height.
It is this floating pole which gives high peak marquees their characteristic look. These types of marquee are much more visually appealing, from the outside and within due to their elegant shape.
High peak marquees have the look of pole marquees and the structural advantages of frame marquees. They can easily be erected as they have fewer parts and can be joined together for larger events more easily.
Marquees Shaped Architecture
A large corporate or sporting event that has multiple high peak tents joined together makes for a unique sight and has helped to influence many large buildings around the world. If you look at building such as the Olympic Stadium in Munich and the International Airport in Denver, it is clear to see obvious similarities to high peak marquee design.
Marquee tents are usually constructed of parts that can easily be used to attach many marquees together, making them more ideal for music festivals and large corporate events.
Usually corporate events and weddings organisers choose to hire marquees, though some larger companies are now, starting to buy their own and maintain them themselves. For the most part though, marquees are too expensive to buy, for what is an item which is only going to be used occasionally, so most people choose to hire rather than buy marquees.
With modern marquee design, windows and skylights can easily be incorporated with interchangeable roof and wall sections being able to be replaced with clear vinyl sections. This allows more natural light to get into your event area, to save on energy bills and create a more natural atmosphere.
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